Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-08-27
FOR AMATEURS ONLY.
ErNm the Inrdnn Mnr.l1

iTc;ty Mis-. bearing was duh.
She possessed little house at Chelsea, two
servants u look after, enough pocket-rnoney to
buy everything suitable for the wife OF q bankers
clerk, a beautiful face 10 which the brown hair,
brushed straight from the brows, gave a look OF
Intelligence and purity, commonplace husband,
absent all day, idle hands and restless mind
.G~t Tho state OF things perceiving which the
Iather of political addresses and society goSsip
HnpS in and suggests enployment
Daughter OF q poor cuTate, whO when she was
seventeen, JOyfully married her, almost without
consulting hrr, to a young man with ''expecta-
tons Marion bearing had spent five years OF her
life without any society, but that Of a somewhat
wild oats he could AfortI between the ares Of
eighteen and SiX-and-tweIty, settled down 10
matrimon! at thirty without a notion that the
excitement bUt that OF ordering his dinners mend
Ing hi> clothes, and listening To his sage discourse
whom lac returned from the city in the evening
Women are so different from men OF cCursp and
household duties must necessarily be more att ract-
i've 10 them than any other sort OF occupation.
Tom bearings mother and sisters and aunts, at
least. had always been perfectly satisfied with the
Charms OF the domestic circle, and be himself at
..Ve-and-thlrty asked nothing better than TO dOze
and prose BY the fire at night to beautiful bored
woman OF two-and-twenty.
But now, 10 his surprise and vexation, his wife
hdd grown duiI and disconnected had LETT of talk
1Hg, even left on listening, and at last memo
Table night had electrified him by bursting into a
passionate entreaty 10 be allowed to 'go on the
stage
Tom bearing was naturally extremely shocked
at such request. His notions of actresses were
formed from "A casual acquaintance with chorus
Llri IN comic opera company whom he mad met
In the country, and had taken to supper; from
surcdOfe, concerning the ecCeutriciteS OF hiStOr-
icdI tragedenneS; and rom accounts in the papers
headed IAN Actress in Trouble, detailing now
ladies' VITA many aliases were taken up by the
police for driving hanson cabs without license,
and oJher erFatic proceedings
But her husbands righteous Indignation had
little effect on Marion bearing; she plned Tor
tNCltefnent, Tor employment anu thought In hef
Innocence IL Was the repressed aspirations OF an
artist nature that stirred her SOUL she was sure
she could act extremely well IL she tried, and TINS
teller was due TO no particular cOncelt, being
shared by humanity ut large.
she took 10 mOping and grew limp and liStlesS:
worse, she LETT of laughing at her husbands pom
deTOus jestS, and even forgot what vegetables lac
preferred for mis- dinner.
ShOne a ray Of light In the suggestion OIL city
friend OF bearings man highly Thought OF by
the latter from the reputation he had Of '1going
into really good society"
.'wife duh and stage-struck, and you naturally
object To her becoming an actress" said this
worthy; "why not let her play with anateuro?'
To the question, "Was 1t respectable?" Mr..
IaTewe drew himself up.
IL was not only respectable-it was fashionable
HIS own sister Mrs Carlnston wife OF the we'll
known q. G., spent ali her leisure in playing IOr
charities, anu the set she moved in was most ex-
elusive.
In my club, the Macreadys, we are in want OF
ladies', Mr.. 1arewe continued. ave don't care to
engaze professional actresses you see-it's ex-
Pyhsl'", ana also our l;idy amateurs, VINO kindly
play iOr Us, don't always care about meeting
iItm. some a. fully nice girls play for US anu,
UI course, their mothers and brothers are very
particular about the people they meet. The Hon
CRADLE aTS. Moi11uls plays good deal with US,
and Lady B;Irnsi,It-very nice women: / am sure
Ars. bearing would like them Immensely"
Under AGs. CarfngtOn'S 1ndulgent wing, there
fore. pretty Mrs. bearing was nrst introduced TO
ti,- members OF the Mdcres:dy Club and the anna
t-Hr iadieS kindly assisting them.
I'VE arv sc glad 10 have you, said the honorable
Ni@- Mqrdnnnt, magnineent looking creature.
Vith "a husband apparently wandering jew by
profession, from the distant and varied points OF
the cuiapss at which he Was periodically sighted;
line iadJ who was going TO play your part has ~
70 TO ball that night aud we couldn't think OF
any one 10 taHe her pace"
"some of the gentlemen wanted to engage pro-
fe,si0nai actress said Mrs. CaffngtOn. but I'm
~ glad they have not, as / think it's much
better 10 keep out the professional element. Miss
allow ner daughter 10 play except with amateurs:
s-I,- IS 30 Particular Let Inc Introduce you TO
C.Ptdln Vernon, Mis-. Dearing."
1he iaSJ-ndiueG gentleman fine looking
Ran, nU longer IL his first youth. Hedr-
ii- LIS iIalIe, he turned besjGw a long stare OF
ii>C.cLJ appreciation At the beautiful ntW-cuner:
h he y-hiiIsr par excellence III the anna
tear World, Snd very highly esteemed among the
i diic-Cia-e hours who sGone therein account
o. the El-n connections OF which he sometimes
Vaguely Dc-.>Led well As by reason of the low
nor.,i;y. concerning which he Was more explicit.
sic was rich. AM playing al acting aired his
Viljty, anu gave nlu plentiful opportunities IOr
lisVre or les, TlS6Y niTJAtiOaS VITA more or less
I,pld adrilse's and natrons. He much preferred
those performances Iii which professional rp>.es
Ic:v BU5 engaged These last were 81 business
Ike, IuIt teT-Ji-iacJ; they had hone of the Hat
I.rfag seiI-cOuseiGus shy ness OF an amateur en-
,--,gtti IN = iJyc-Sr4sEe with Captain Vernon Be-
sides. han the fun Cr the thing lay In nlectug
YEAR stage inainOfata aIterwird at the houses OF
I.Ir2d>, Ia the PARK, or at The thedteTs, where,
when piece they know l. performed, amateurs
a-e wont To eongregate TO deplose the traces OF
Insufficient rehearsal, ths sta4ineSs. the vul-
g.trity Ut professional performers.
Into this society pretty MRS. bearing was now
plunged. Az rrst she threw herself heartily into
her parts, being nlled with vague dreams OF future
IAuc ami fortune Tor herself and IO:n when her
trnius conqGering all prejudice, she should be
snapped up by London manager Is, accord
In Ia amateur tradition, frequently happened 10
their most promising members.
me amateurs, men and women, took to Mrs.
bearing. Tie women petted aad patrunized ner
aad the men would have gladly paid her con,
Siderable attention had not Captain Vernon mo-
LJyO.ized her entirely from the rirst moment of
his Introduction 10 her. He had constant op-
PJrtunitieS OF meeting her foT the amateur
si-asOn was on, and the members of three or four
other clubs were glad 10 avail themselves OF Mrs.
bearing services On Captaln Nernon-s inuroduc-
tlon. lie married women assisting" them find
liz that the best bait by which, TO lure the hand
some and distinguished looking Captain Vernon to
their lat homes" was the presence of pretty Mrs
bearing, invited them both constantly. soon
: arlOn- head became 1lled by confused phantaS-
IiaCOria. III which diamond earrings plush hang
iHS>, tropical plants and champagne luncheoIs
sirrounded one central hgure-a tail dark man,
With OJii eyes anu gentle manners, whose voice,
SAYING all sorts OF things she ought not TO listen
t0-iorTn running accompaniment TO her dreams.
NeanM ME. Tom was delighted 10 find how ami
able and cOntented his wife mad become and how
entirely she had relinquished all notion OF going
o. III" stage She certainly required more pocket
money than before; but she explained, she
E-u>i dress well when Mrs Darlington took her for
GIvc-- Tom arranged TO do some extra work in
the city, and was frequently detained there until
O'Clock. On his return. IL she was not .'play-
ia- for charities he would ind her bright and
SIcctlOndtt, II sometimes little restless, In man.
Lrr- size wUni wait upon him at dinner with a
Cp4uttti~h charm new To her, and when he sat BY
Tie IRE aiteTward would cling round him, and
fzr into MS commonplace countenance with a
Nlstfulny->> IN her eyes ne did not understand
Ana her husband, remembering how compara-
lively cold and passive she had formerly been to-
ard hun. decided that little harmless excite
men; was evidently what she required and often
CIi.ed down blessings on amateur thearrieaIS in
general, and the Macready club In particular
~ last one morning, rather more than n year
after MIS-. bearings Introduction 70 the amateur
sage, she informed her husband that she had been
ASKED TO pay ne principal part In the perform
ance at Richmond Ia aid 81 "sOme charity What
V4rti uiar charity she Colid not saw but hers was
aI iEHSfaDCe shared by most OF the amateurs
i he-c ittie periodical trips into the envirous O,
London With u party OF friends Were however
much In vogue with the MacTeadys, and it could
81 isa,t be Iairiy said that there was quite ~
naeb charity as there was art In their perform
a.CPS-
.-ii,e change Will do you good daresay.- Tom
said To- his wife, as she helped him on with hi.
gteat-east and carefully avoided meeting his eve
"Ivu have been looking rather pale lately
s.a-n't be back from the city until on TUESDAY
tGj after dinner III run down TO Richmond and
Ding van bOme.'
..NO don't do that, +" she said. looking Hp quickly
nte the blood suddenly rushed To her face anil
part l. over soon. and we begin early shall bt
ham FlrIa Ia